There should be a healthy life/work balance. Doing nothing but work is unhealthy. Side-projects offer a nice break from the norm and the ability to be creative

There should be a healthy life/work balance. Doing nothing but work is unhealthy. Side-projects offer a nice break from the norm and the ability to be creative and learn new things. Usually my side-projects wind up helping me in my normal work later on. But, you don't have to do side-projects. Just make sure to not burn yourself out with work. Do you feel guilty eating, sleeping, exercising, travelling, meeting with friends? Hopefully not.